It’s only October, but if you had to pick a player of the season for Arsenal, Jurrien Timber would be a pretty good bet.
The Dutch international has made up for lost time after missing a year with an ACL injury. Some standouts have come in the North London Derby victory over Tottenham and the 2-2 draw with Manchester City.
Arguably Timber’s best performance so far though came in the first half of Tuesday’s 2-0 win over PSG. The 23-year-old was sublime as Arsenal eased into control of a Champions League match against top quality opponents. Unfortunately though Timber’s night ended earlier than expected.
“He was unbelievable in the first half, but he felt something muscular and he wasn’t certain,” Mikel Arteta said after the game. “So I didn’t want to take any risks. He’s been out for a year and he’s played a lot of minutes, probably more minutes than we would have wanted in the past few weeks and we have to manage him.”
Arsenal will be hoping the injury is not too serious. This is particularly the case given the lack of available right-backs at the club. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White have both been out injured recently, with Riccardo Calafiori having to spend the second half at right-back against PSG.
Timber has done a superb job after sliding over to that position from the left-back role. It’s not a position the Dutch international had been used to before coming to Arsenal, but it’s one he has thrived in so far.
“It happened in pre-season, before Barcelona in training I played left-back and all of a sudden I was like ‘okay, there’s a chance I’ll play left-back tomorrow,” Timber said of the switch from his preferred right-back to left-back at the start of last season. “That’s okay, just do my thing and enjoy it’. I’m just happy when I play. I think it’s a good thing being versatile and playing in multiple positions.”
Timber’s versatility may not end there though. The 23-year-old has already played in both full-back positions for Arsenal, but another idea that has been mooted has been using him in midfield.
Arsenal have struggled for numbers in the middle of the park recently with Martin Odegaard out with an ankle injury and Mikel Merino having only just returned from a shoulder problem. Jorginho and Thomas Partey meanwhile are both the wrong side of 30, and relying on them to play every three days at the top level is a big ask.
Timber has briefly played in midfield during his career and having grown up in the Ajax academy he’s certainly got the technical ability to play the role. It’s something he’s even suggested he would be open to.
“I played midfield at Ajax a couple of times and in the youth but mainly as a centre-back or full-back,” he said earlier this week. “Of course, wherever [Arteta] wants to play me I will always give my best.”
With Merino back fit and Odegaard hopefully available not too long after the latest international break, it may not be something we’re likely to see in the immediate future. But in the long-term Timber’s versatility could be a huge asset for Arsenal as they look to compete on multiple fronts.
